User:Vizai Bhaskar

Vizai Bhaskar, a Sangeet Natak Akademi award winner is a shining firmament in Telugu theatre scenario. ‘History repeats itself. It rejuvenates in due course even if destroyed'. This is what the play Hiranyagarbha vouches. So it did to its writer Vizai Bhasker, who earned the Sangeet Natak Akademi award a few months ago in 2011 that eluded Telugu Drama for a quarter century since actor Pisapati Narasimha Murthy received it in 1986. Besides, this is the first ever award for a Telugu playwright..

The others - Sthanam Narasimha Rao in 1961, Banda Kanakalingesara Rao in 1963, Kalyanam Raghuramayya in 1973 and Pisapati were actors. The citation notes Vizai Bhasker as ‘national theatre personality'. He bagged this only after his Telugu plays were translated into other languages and also staged. Thus his reputation walked ahead of him to clinch this award.

Vizai Bhasker's journey through playwriting plugged the gap for a sensible, socialdrama with apt Telugu idiom.

Unlike many contemporary playwrights who involve in acting and direction as well, Vizai Bhasker stops at writing. That may be one reason characterisation is evenly distributed, He has to his credit a score of plays, most of which won awards at state and Parishat levels to him and to artistes portraying roles.

Vizai Bhasker works as a senior officer in the state Government.

“My service in different districts helped me to watch human life ridden with problems. The solution I envisage contributed to the might of the play,” he says in an interview. Besides his taste for theatre, literature grew with times since his school and college days in Srikakulam district and Visakhapatnam.

“I began writing basically to satiate my urge to find answers for social problems. Success and name are by products,” he says and then slips into his past and recalls how great thespian S.K. Misro of Vizag and equally a gifted short story writer Kalipatnam Rama Rao guided him to be what he is today.

“I was lucky to get eminent people like Krishna Chaitanya, K.J. Ramprasad, Obulaiah of Rayalaseema and a few others. Plays don't survive until a dedicated theatre unit takes care of it. Hiranya Garbha is my first full length play I wrote struggling for six years. It served as a training ground in play writing, though it did not hit the stage, because of its requirement of a huge technical back up. Earlier plays like Toorpu Tellarindi and Gruhapravesam carried the day because of nativity content. Ruthwik that Misro directed and produced ignited in me a hope of becoming a successful playwright. Kinchit Bhogam won first Nandi Award. Puliswari, Kurchi and an experimental play Mabbullo Bomma kept me in constant focus,” he reveals.

Vizai Bhasker's ‘mantra' in drawing attention of audience is induction of an element of ‘myth' into his themes. For example his most popular Gandhi Jayanthi, opens showing Mahatma Gandhi brought to ‘hell'because he committed a crime of earning independence to thankless people. This play was translated into English and seven Indian languages.

Another play Puli Swaari compares factionalism to riding a tiger, ready to eat him if he gets down. It was staged 150 times, a record for him. Kalakootam, Minister , Kabeerdas , Kurchi , Jeevannatakam , Kinchitbhogam , Brahma Raata and Mabbullo Bomma were all translated into two or more languages. Vizai Bhasker produces a letter from Imphal that calls him “a friend from A.P. known in every house in Imphal” indicating popularity of his play Brahma Raata translated and staged in Manipuri.

Vizai Bhasker had the privilege of some institutions like Karnataka Nataka Academy, National School of Drama, Karnataka Telugu Academy and Department of Kannada and Culture holding play festivals on his name, staging his translated works.

“Writers should grow above Parishat limitations,” he argues commenting on stereotype scripts submitted for competitions. “They should write keeping people in mind not awards,” he advises.

“If that brings a prize it is good. We should update our technology for proper projection of situational needs in the drama. Music should also find a place,” he argues. He pleads for government's approval to allow old social plays to be featured in ‘Nandi' competitions like in the case of verse theatre that had a sanction.

“Chandrasekhar Kambar and Girish Karnad of Kannada Theatre, Badal Sircar of Bengal, Vijay Tendulkar in Marathi theatre and Vasudeva Nayyar of Kerala all pillars of modern drama. I crave to add my name to that list, some day,” he signs off.